Durban dry dock repair project gets under way

Work begins this month on the Prince Edward Graving Dry Dock in Durban which will be undergoing a R30-million repair project on its outer caisson over the next four months. This is the third and final phase of a comprehensive repair programme on the structure, which was deemed unsafe and in need of repair due to the age of the 90-year-old dry dock and a general need for maintenance, Durban port manager Moshe Motlohi said.

Earlier this month Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) appointed Durban-based engineering firm Channel Construction as the successful bidder after a competitive tender process. The companmy will work closely with managing contractor, Sebata Group, which is overseeing the project, with technical expertise and quality assurance provided by a team including KwaZulu-Natal’s only naval architecture firm, Naval Africa.

Motlohi said: “The contractor’s preferred method required a four-month non-operational period of the dry dock. However TNPA has implemented a contingency plan in consultation with the project management team to reduce this period to two months in order to minimise the impact on industry.

“We have thoroughly investigated various methods, including an option of keeping the dry dock operational during the entire project implementation phase of four months and the associated risks.   We are however confident that the method we have adopted will afford protection against risks such as endangering the structural integrity of the caisson and dock, escalating costs and prolonged duration of the project,” he said.

The repair project is expected to run from July to November 2015, with the non-operational period occurring over August and September. TNPA confirmed that no repair bookings had been received from industry for the non-operational period of two months and there would be a vessel in the dock for service during July for a 20-day period and another in October. The dock’s current market includes cargo vessels and TNPA’s own fleet of marine vessels.

TNPA expects the Durban dry dock outer caisson repair to be completed in November and it will be commissioned when there is a vessel scheduled to depart from the dry dock during this month. 

The organisation is meanwhile fast-tracking investments into ship repair facilities nationwide. The authority has identified projects to the value of R16.8 billion aimed at facilitating the growth of the local ship repair, ship building and oil and gas sectors. All of the projects are set to be operational by 2019.